What is a Keto Diet?
Overview of keto diet
For anyone that has heard the word keto and is wondering what it is-a keto diet is a low carb diet where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy. When you eat something high in carbs, your body will produce glucose and insulin. Glucose is the easiest molecule for your body to convert and use as energy. Insulin is produced to process the glucose in your bloodstream. Since the glucose is being used as a primary energy, your fats are not needed and are therefore stored. Typically on a normal, higher carbohydrate diet, the body will use glucose as the main form of energy but by lowering the carbohydrate intake the body is induced into a state known as ketosis. Ketosis is a natural process the body initiates to help us survive when food intake is low. The end goal of a properly maintained keto diet is to force your body into this metabolic state. We don’t do this through starvation of calories but starvation of carbohydrates. Our bodies are incredibly adaptive to what you put into it – when you overload it with fats and take away carbohydrates, it will begin to burn ketones as the primary energy source. Optimal ketone levels offer many health, weight loss, physical and mental performance benefits.
Benefits of a Ketogenic Diet
Weight Loss
The ketogenic diet essentially uses your body fat as an energy source – so there are obvious weight loss benefits. On keto, your insulin (the fat storing hormone) levels drop greatly which turns your body into a fat burning machine.Scientifically, the ketogenic diet has shown better results compared to low-fat and high-carb diets; even in the long term.
Control Blood Sugar
Keto naturally lowers blood sugar levels due to the type of foods you eat. Studies even show that the ketogenic diet is a more effective way to manage and prevent diabetes compared to low-calorie diets.If you’re pre-diabetic or have Type II diabetes, you should seriously consider a ketogenic diet.
Increased Energy & Normalized Hunger
By giving your body a better and more reliable energy source, you will feel more energized during the day. Fats are shown to be the most effective molecule to burn as fuel.On top of that, fat is naturally more satisfying and ends up leaving us in a satiated state for longer.
Cholesterol & Blood Pressure
A keto diet has shown to improve triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels most associated with arterial build-up. More specifically low-carb, high-fat diets show a dramatic increase in HDL and decrease in LDL particle concentration compared to low-fat diets.Many studies on low-carb diets also show better improvement in blood pressure over other diets.Some blood pressure issues are associated with excess weight, which is a bonus since keto tends to lead to weight loss. Insulin resistance can lead to type II diabetes if left unmanaged. An abundant amount of research shows that a low carb, ketogenic diet can help people lower their insulin levels to healthy ranges.Even if you’re athletic, you can benefit from insulin optimization on keto through eating foods high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Article by Receptionist Mel Byrne
